Forestry Farm Birding, Mar. 3
Join Greg Fenty and the Saskatoon Nature Society on March 3 from 1:30-3:30 pm as they look for winter songbirds at the Forestry Farm. Warm up afterwards with Georgia the Porcupine.

Community Garden Conference, Mar. 23
CHEP’s one-day conference on community gardens will be held on March 23. Presentations include: design considerations for a community garden, school gardens, how to start a community garden, community gardening in Regina, recruiting and maintaining volunteers, and growing food in Canada: perspective from a new Canadian. Contact Gord Androsoff at gord@chep.org to register.

Creating the Prairie Xeriscape

Sara Williams will be launching her new book, Creating the Prairie Xeriscape, at Seedy Saturday on March 9. The book provides a complete guide to planning, designing, and maintaining a water-conscious garden and includes a reference section of ideal plants.

Product Redesign

All our products will need a redesign if we are to become an environmentally-conscious society. For example, 8-10 billion plastic hangers are manufactured every year. Ditto has produced two alternatives: a paper hanger made from 80-100% post-consumer waste with vegetable inks and environmentally friendly adhesives or a more durable PET plastic hanger numbered 1 for recycling.

Ditto’s CEO says, “We see a huge market creating beautiful products that are intelligently designed so that their end-of-life is engineered into the product. We don't see consumption going down any time soon. That means it's up to the industrial designer to design products responsibly.”

Clean: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing

In Clean: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing, Michael de Jong introduces 5 natural products that will clean just about anything – baking soda, borax, lemon, salt, and white vinegar – and provides dozen of tips on how to use them.

Tuesday, 19 February 2013

PRI Potluck, Feb. 21
The Permaculture Research Institute of Saskatchewan is holding a potluck supper on February 21. After supper, Jessie Best and Shaun Abs, who have recently participated in a Holistic Management workshop, will make a presentation and lead a discussion on holistic management. Saskatchewan and other prairie provinces are starting to adopt this method of farming as a way to build topsoil, store carbon, improve animal care, and rejuvenate water cycles.

The Future of Community Pastures, Feb. 28/Mar. 1
Over one million acres of Canada’s most valuable grasslands are for sale, and Public Pastures – Public Interest is hosting two forums in Saskatoon to share information. At 7 pm, February 28, at the Frances Morrison Library, Candace Savage will highlight the pastures’ heritage and their importance for grassland conservation. A panel of speakers will address various topics related to the pastures on March 1 from 1-4 pm in the Georgia Goodspeed Theatre, Edwards School of Business.

Guide to the Environmental Petitions Process, Mar. 4 & 6
The Saskatchewan Eco Network is collaborating with the federal government in offering an informal presentation on A Guide to the Environmental Petitions Process. It will be held on March 4 in Regina and March 6 in Saskatoon. Contact SEN if you are interested in attending as they need to know numbers before booking a facility (info@econet.sk.ca, 652-1275).

Seedy Saturday, Mar. 9
Don’t miss CHEP’s 15th annual seed exchange and eco fair on Saturday, March 9, from 11 am to 4 pm at E.D. Feehan Collegiate. There will be over 40 exhibitors as well as speakers on edible weedy plants, seed saving, urban farming in Saskatoon, and xeriscaping on the Prairies. Wild About Saskatoon and Slow Food Saskatoon both plan to be there.

Green Transportation Workshop, Mar. 9
Grade 10-12 high school students and teachers from across the province are invited to attend a day-long Green Transportation Workshop in Regina hosted by the Saskatchewan Eco Network. To register, contact Rick Morrell at info@econet.sk.ca or by phone at (306) 543-2784.

Wild Birds Unlimited
Wild Birds Unlimited has just opened. The store is next door to Saboroso on 8th Street and sells everything from wild bird seed grown in Alberta to bird houses, bird baths, and decorative items. The owners are very supportive of local environmental groups.

Friday, 15 February 2013

EcoFriendly Sask has awarded a $500 EcoFriendly Action Grant to the Cornerstone Family and Youth Partnership Project to help them extend The Small lot of H.O.P.E., the Fruit and Vegetable Children’s Garden.

In 2008-09, Carlyle Elementary School grounds included a cracked concrete pad and two rusty basketball hoops located between the east wall of the gym and a storage shed. Working with their teachers and families, the students decided to transform the lot into an outdoor classroom garden.

Over the past five years, they have planted trees, built raised flower beds, replaced the concrete pad with a recycled tire patio, created a rain barrel water collection system, developed a school-wide composting program, purchased picnic tables, and even painted a mural of how the garden will look when it is complete.

The school wants to extend its garden by adding four raised garden beds to plant and harvest fruit and vegetables that the students can use in their nutrition program. The raised beds will be built from composite wood grain timbers that are manufactured from 60% recycled post-consumer plastic and 40% natural fibers.

The school partners with Cornerstone Family and Youth (CFY), a non-profit charitable organization that provides educational and recreational programs for children, to operate the garden program. Together, they offer a twice-weekly after-school garden club during the spring, early summer, and autumn. When school is out, CFY hosts a daily summer camp program that maintains the garden.

Wednesday, 13 February 2013

According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2013 is the Year of the Snake. Snakes aren’t cuddly creatures, so we don’t tend to know a lot about them. Now is our chance to find out more about these sinuous reptiles.

For example, in the Chinese zodiac, the snake is the master seducer. Well, garter snakes do pretty well in real life too. When a female snake is ready to mate, she produces pheromones and any male snakes in her vicinity are attracted by her scent. They gather around the female in a large, wriggling “mating ball.” Mating balls can be relatively small, but in some places, like Manitoba, garter snakes travel to specific sites to mate and a mating ball can include thousands of males and only a hundred females.

Saskatchewan’s Snakes
Saskatchewan has nine different snakes, including three garter snakes and the western/prairie rattlesnake. All the snakes are carnivorous, eating everything from insects to rodents.

The western hog-nosed snake derives its name from the upturned tip of its snout, which enables it to dig for its dinner. It rolls on its back and plays “possum” when threatened.

Garter SnakesGarter snakes can be found from one side of Canada to the other. There are garter snakes in the Northwest Territories but none in Newfoundland. They are generally found near water. Although they aren’t poisonous, some species will vibrate their tail against dry vegetation to imitate the sound made by rattlesnakes. If threatened, they release a foul smell from glands near the base of the tail.

Prairie Rattlesnake
The prairie rattlesnake is the only venomous snake on the Prairies and can be found in southwestern Saskatchewan, southeastern Alberta, and south-central British Columbia. Its range extends as far south as northern Mexico.
Each time the snake sheds its skin, a ring is added to the string at the end of its tail. The rings knock together and make a rattling noise. The snake will shed its skin three to five times during its first summer and one to three times after that.

Tuesday, 12 February 2013

Stress Tolerance in Plants, Feb. 21
Professor Susan Kaminskyj will discuss how fungi can protect plants from extreme climate at 7:30 pm, February 21, as part of the Saskatoon Nature Society’s monthly programming. Meetings are held in Room 106, Biology Building, University of Saskatchewan.

We Are Many, Feb. 26
We Are Many is holding a members’ meeting on February 26. They are looking for people to take a more active role in coordinating the Garlic Project and the event logistics for the Hydration Station. Contact info@wamsaskatoon.com for more information.

Watersheds Conference, Apr. 9 & 10
The Saskatchewan Association of Watersheds' conference will be in Moose Jaw on April 9 and 10. Bob Sandford, the keynote speaker, will discuss water and climate security in the Canadian West, and there will be tours of several water treatment facilities.

Low-Carbon Energy FuturesLow-Carbon Energy Futures: A Review of National Scenarios indicates that a low-carbon future is within our reach. It will require major improvements in energy efficiency; greater reliance on electricity for heating, personal transportation, and some industrial processes; a transition to low- or zero-carbon electricity sources; and a wider use of biofuels.

Composting Gains Traction across the USComposting organic waste is growing in the US. Compost Cab picks up food waste and delivers it to farmers and gardeners to use as compost/fertilizer. Harvest Power takes municipality's solid waste and converts it to high-quality soils or energy.

Tuesday, 5 February 2013

Gardening Classes, Feb/AprilPrairie Master Gardeners are offering 5 classes in February (first class is Feb. 5) and 4 in April to help you prepare for spring planting. They range from floral design to soils, composting, and fruit crops.

Native Plants – Native People, Feb. 8-9
Penny is looking forward to attending the Native Plant Society's conference Feb. 8-9 with its focus on native plants - native people. Lots to learn about indigenous foods and medicines and the work being done by Saskatchewan's First Nations.

North Downtown Redevelopment, Feb. 12
Everyone is invited to attend the RoadMap AGM at 7:00 pm, February 12, at Station 20 West and learn more about the North Downtown Redevelopment Plan from Jeanna South, City of Saskatoon, and Laura Plosz, Group2 Architecture.

RoadMap Saskatoon, through community engagement, builds awareness of the environmental, social, and economic benefits of sustainable practices and mobilizes a multi-sector network of community leaders committed to a sustainable Saskatoon. (Penny is a board member.)

Cherry Valentine Evening, Feb. 14

Students from the Saskatoon School of Horticulture think cherries are one of Saskatchewan’s greatest crops. To share their enthusiasm, they are hosting Cherry Valentine Evening on February 14 in the Masonic Temple with live music and food featuring Saskatchewan-grown cherries as well as signature cocktails with spirits from LB Distillers. Call 931-4769 or email cherryvalentineevening@gmail.com to purchase tickets for $45 each.

Spring Break, Feb. 18-22
Beaver Creek will be open from 1-4 pm during Spring Break from February 18 to 22.

Toxic Body Products, Feb. 19
Jennie Weselowsky will discuss how personal care products affect our health and the environment at 7 pm, February 19, at the Frances Morrison Library. Jennie will explain how to read product labels in order to avoid toxins. (co-sponsored by the Saskatchewan Environmental Society and the Saskatoon Public Library)

Wild About Saskatoon

Wild About Saskatoon has a website and is busy making plans for their NatureCity Festival, May 25-31. Check it out!

Royal Saskatchewan Museum
The Royal Saskatchewan Museum has a new website. It includes reports on their current research projects, such as the potential for ecomuseums in Saskatchewan and burrowing owls (including videos). Burrowing owls are most active at dawn and dusk, and they like to have a good reserve of food. The researchers found a cache of 87 deer mice, 4 meadow voles, and one shrew.

EcoSask News is a weekly round-up of local news and events. Email us if you have items you would like us to include. Additional upcoming events can be found on our Calendar.

You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or by email (top right corner).

Follow by Email

About

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi

EcoFriendly Sask strives to inform, encourage, and support Saskatchewan environmental initiatives. As a small, personal undertaking, we provide an online publication as well as grants to support local environmental projects. The Calendar page lists upcoming events, and we maintain the conversation on Twitter, or like our Facebook.

Individuals and organizations are encouraged to apply for grants of up to $500 to support local projects that will benefit the environment.